The modern work environment is constantly changing, requiring businesses to take advantage of new technology and features to achieve success. One of these recent revelations is known as cloud hosted infrastructure. So today we will be going over the pros of moving your CPA firm to the cloud. If you’re unfamiliar with what that is, or just need a quick refresher, check out our explanation of cloud hosting.
It is common that the price of cloud hosting (in comparison to existing on-premise infrastructure) can deter firms from making the jump. However, as you’ll see, the true cost of on-premise infrastructure rises far beyond the common understanding. You’ll realize that with on-prem it’s mandatory to hire your own internal IT technicians, and that if the size of your business fluctuates you won’t possess the ability to quickly scale your infrastructure. When dealing with business operations, the quality of cloud hosted infrastructure warrants its cost. So here are some more considerations for what CPA firms are truly missing out on by continuing with on-premise infrastructure.
Pros of moving your CPA firm to the cloud
Access Anywhere:
Using a secure VPN connection, employees of the CPA organization are able to connect from anywhere (whether on the road, at home, or with the client) to access accounting software and client data. It is this feature of employee mobility which enables workplace flexibility. The necessary tools to work efficiently, which previously were only available at the office, can now be accessed remotely. According to Statistics Canada, a study found that 90% of workers said they were at least as productive once they began working remotely compared to when they worked from a designated place of work. Furthermore, 80% stated they would like to continue working remotely for at least half of their hours. These findings hint at the potential well-being and efficiency benefits for CPAs deciding to migrate to the cloud.
Built In Security:
Not only is the cloud deployment behind a firewall, but also includes an extra “Intrusion Detection” layer of cyber security to block unwanted access, cyber attacks, and malicious activity. Our team of IT professionals will employ their knowledge and keep the cloud security up to date to combat modern cyber threats. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of the cloud environment, relying on the cloud professionals is commonly preferred over having to internally hire a dedicated IT team to confidently manage and secure one’s on-premise infrastructure.
Built in Backup & Disaster Recovery:
A proper cloud deployment will have all data backed up in a separate data centre, and can be instantly recovered in a new environment in the case that something catastrophic happens. In the modern age, this is a mandatory preventative solution to problems like file corruption, natural disasters, denial of service, or most commonly user error.
Redundant Infrastructure:
A physical machine may have hardware, software or networking issues (local internet/connectivity). A cloud deployment runs in multiple redundant locations across Canada, in the case that one server may go down, you are automatically switched to another location so that there is no down time. For CPA organizations relying on on-premise infrastructure, what would be the consequences if something happened during peak tax season? The redundancy of the cloud would make this potentially catastrophic threat almost negligible.
Fully Managed:
Server Cloud Canada actively monitors each of our deployments and can take proactive measures to keep you connected and secure. We provide 24/7/365 Canadian support. We manage backup and restorations, OS & software updates/patches, and more, allowing you to entirely focus on your clients.
Scalability:
Only pay for what you need. As you grow we can scale up the resources required without new hardware purchases. As we monitor computing usage, we may find that you do not need as many resources (CPU/ RAM / storage) and can scale you down, thus reducing your monthly bill.
CAPEX vs. OPEX:
Capital expenditures on physical hardware only last for so long before they need upgrades, additional hardware and software. A cloud deployment turns those into operating expenditures as the hardware and software upgrades are entirely our responsibility.
Takeaway
There are a plethora of new features which posit cloud hosting as superior to on-premise infrastructure. We’ve covered some of the main pros of moving your CPA firm to the cloud. Of course, there are a variety of other features to consider, which you can check out by visiting other pages on our website. It is the combination of these features, and the potential they unlock for your business which warrants additional IT spending. Cloud hosted infrastructure is where the future is headed, and has already arrived. Don’t be the last to realize on-premise infrastructure can no longer offer the necessary tools to run your CPA firm or business competitively.
The advantages provided by cloud hosting are similar between CPA firms, but are still unique to each individually. Contact us today so that we can explain how your business will benefit!
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!